It reminds him of the Mackinac Bridge, which he acknowledges he’s crossed only once. But he’s heard plenty of stories and seen enough pictures to know that it’s an iconic Michigan landmark.

So when Grand Rapids Griffins equipment manager Brad Thompson approached him with the idea to incorporate the "Mighty Mac" on the top of his next goaltender mask, MacDonald immediately approved.

"Every year I try to keep it with a team kind of theme," MacDonald said. "This year I was like, 'Hey, I’ve been in Michigan for a long time, seven or eight years, and it would be pretty cool to put something like that on top.'"

The top of his new mask has the bridge, while one side honors Chris Osgood’s iconic helmet/cage combination and his 401 career NHL wins, and the other has the Detroit skyline. The back of his helmet, as it always has, contains the names of MacDonald’s two children, Camden and Kendall.

"That’s one thing every year I do," he said.

Thompson, who’s made several trips to the Mackinac Bridge during family vacations, said the connection just made sense.

"I was thinking that would be something neat that would tie Michigan into his mask other than just the Detroit skyline, since everyone else has that," Thompson said. "I was like, MacDonald, the Mighty Mac, that might be a good idea."

MacDonald is looking forward to being able to finally use the new mask in a game. He received it the week after he sustained a concussion in a game against the Charlotte Checkers on Nov. 5.

"I’ve just been staring at it. I took it home and stared at it some more," he said. "My little guy was wanting to see pictures of it, so I got pictures taken and sent them back home."

View full sizeRex Larsen | The Grand Rapids PressJoey MacDonald is aiming to play Friday for the Griffins.

MacDonald was cleared to resume skating with Red Wings goaltending development coach Chris Osgood late last week, and returned to practice with the Griffins on Monday.

He’s aiming to be back in the lineup Friday night at Milwaukee.

"You can practice out here all you want, but getting into games is the only way to get game-conditioned," MacDonald said. "You get in there, they get power plays and you’re in your crouch for two or three minutes at a time or whatever, that’s the only way to get that.

"Practice is about timing. You get that timing back, your hands come back, feet come back and things take care of itself during games."

Before he was sidelined by the concussion, MacDonald was off to a strong start with a .930 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average through nine games. He also had two shutouts.

The Red Wings also want MacDonald to be ready should either Jimmy Howard or Ty Conklin be unavailable.

Grand Rapids coach Curt Fraser said the team has not decided whether Tom McCollum or Jordan Pearce would be sent to Toledo of the ECHL when MacDonald returns.

McCollum would seem to have the advantage. Since being recalled Nov. 7, he has gone 4-3-0 with 3.17 GAA and won his past three starts. Pearce, meanwhile, is 1-5-0 this season with a 3.81 GAA.

Either way, Fraser said the Griffins will look forward to having MacDonald back.

"I think that will be a big lift for our team," Fraser said. "The kids have been doing a pretty good job in goal, Tommy has won the past three and that’s a big step in the right direction for him. But we need Joey back."

MacDonald is looking forward to rejoining the Griffins, and isn’t worried about picking up where he left off.

"It’s only been a month, it hasn’t been that long," he said. "Things were rolling pretty good when I was in before. I’m just going to hop right in there."